It was no secret that Alvar Ashviel despised Court meetings.
You could often find the young elven prince of the Unseelie Court stationed somewhere other than his designated box, sometimes hidden far back with the knights or in deep conversation with his Squire and best friend, Sir Melriel.
Today was unlike any other Court meeting, however, as it was not simply internal discussions about matters of the Kingdom. Their infamous enemies, the Seelie, were also present for the meeting. So now Alvar had to confront two things he hated very much. Court meetings and confrontations. How quaint, the young prince thought. His father had already cornered him during sword practice with Melriel in the early hours of the morning to warn him against slacking from his duties.
"I'd better not find you absent from your seat today, son." King Aurelias had told him. "And you'd better raise your hand to contribute to the discussions—there must be no more absences." The young prince rolled his eyes at his father's words. It wasn't as though his father would call on him to speak in Court or anywhere for that matter. It was painfully evident that King had to trust in his own son.
However, as tempted as Alvar was to disobey, he was still a cowardly leafling in the face of his father—most times at least. Thus, to not incur the King's wrath, the young prince woke up at the first crack of dawn, dipped into the warm bath drawn by his servants and slipped into fitting ceremonial garbs—a dark green tunic that seemed to reflect the shadows, a pair of well-ironed trousers, black leather boots and a black cape lined with emerald threads.
The corridors were riddled with harried servants and other palace workers flitting up and about, eager to make this historic meeting a success. After all, it wasn't everyday that light and darkness got to exist in the same room. For many millennia, both fractions have been at war with clashes often being brutal and ending with the loss of innocent fae lives on both sides. In recent years they have tried to forge an truce for the sake of their kingdoms but so far progress has been painfully slow as both sides were just as stubborn to yield. And although Alvar has only attended one Court meeting between the two Courts, he had seen enough to know that both kingdoms wouldn't exist in peace for another millenia to come.
The Unseelie Court's grand hall was crammed full of both fractions, with knights and squires at the very extreme of the room, accompanying nobility occupying the middle seats and members of both royal families seated in front. The grand hall itself was shaped like a giant clam shell, circular and curved, with the room formed into a giant round dome. When the Seelies had all taken their places at the opposite side of the circular room and the grand doors had been bolted shut by guards to prevent a case of eavesdropping by nosy servants, the meeting commenced.
With chaos.
The protocol barely lasted two minutes before insults were hurled from one group to another. Who started it was Alvar's best guess. All he knew is that one minute the folks were pretending to be cordial, greeting one another with hypocritical smiles and the next, some poor Unseelie was caught in-between two burly knights battling to avenge their respective masters.
"May the old gods smithe down your entire accursed race for that!" One Seelie noble hurled at the opposite fraction, pointing his crooked finger.
"The old gods do not exist, you gormless fool!" a dark elf fired back.
Alvar caught his father's eyes in the midst of the chaos. He could almost feel the disappointment pouring from his tired gaze.
King Aurelias wasn't a dreamer by any means. He knew very well that absolute peace between the two Courts was impossible but Alvar could tell that he hoped for at least a bit of decorum while they discussed. The Seelies would never trust their enemies, not in this lifetime at least. If there was one thing his father taught him before he could even walk, it was that the light fraction's self-righteousness and hatred towards any form of darkness was the undoing of the Old Kingdoms.
Alvar wasn't foolish either; he knew never to trust a Seelie. It was like his father always said; a face so full of light hoards a heart black as coal.
The meeting was adjourned not even a minute later after both sides have had their fill of insults and bickering.
With the crowd dispersed for now, Alvar thought about slipping out of the palace through a secret entrance in the walls that he was certain only he, and a handful of others, knew about. It would take more than a mere threat from his father (and maybe a bottle of ice cold ale) to make him go back there and listen to both sides skirmish once again.
Instead he'd ended up in the open corridor adjoining the throne room and perched on the balcony.
It was a clear morning with barely a cloud marring the sky. The balcony itself was covered with greensward, a local creeping plant with tiny yellow flowers that seemed to dance in the sun's light. Alvar toyed with the flowers absentmindedly, not even reacting when a person's shadow settled beside him, blocking the light.
"Father." He acknowledged, tilting his head but not lifting his eyes. He didn't want to see his father's expectanct gaze.
"Son." His cloak rustled on the floor, "It would seem we are both running away from our duties this time."
Alvar huffed, "It's hardly our fault. Those Seelie folk are impossible to reason with. It's like trying to converse with a child!"
Aurelias shrugged, leaning closer to the balcony, "I should have known it would be almost impossible to mend wounds older than I am; it takes more than one side to come to an agreement, after all."
"How about the blueprints for the Grand Academy? Did they at least agree to look at them or was the shadow aura oozing from it too repulsive for them?"
"It was their suggestion to expand the Grand Academy into Unseelie territory so they would have to look at the blueprints soon enough." Aurelias said, eyes set in the distance, "When we drafted the Accords, we knew assimilation would be a long and arduous process but—now that we're finally implementing it—it all seems much more difficult than I thought it would be."
Aurelias then placed a firm hand on his son's shoulder, squeezing gently.
"That is the bane of being King, Alvar. These are decisions that could make or break this Kingdom. As Crown Prince, you cannot afford to be feeble-minded. I would rather keep my enemies under my bed, that way I always know where to look."
Alvar didn't say anything in reply. Nothing he wanted to say would be what the King would like to hear anyway. He definitely couldn't tell him how much he despised the intricacies of the Royal Court, or how much he wanted to just ride off into the darkness with Raven, his trusty mare. Anything less than an agreement would lead to another spat between him and his father so he quietly nodded, pretending to agree while his heart thumped with discord.
King Aurelias left soon after but not without reminding Alvar to return to the Court meeting which would start soon.
Alvar's heart groaned within him.
He just wanted to run somewhere far away, just sprint into the dark forest and let its blackness swallow him whole.
Was that too much to ask?
Another shadow was lurking in the corridor, one that he was very familiar with but didn't necessarily enjoy seeing.
It was his uncle, Sir Uther Olddwyn, with a sour look on his face.
Even worse than the occasional disagreements between himself and his father was the longtime malice his uncle harboured for him. For as long as the prince could remember, the older man had always picked on him and disguised his bullying as simple teasing. Sometimes Alvar suspected that his uncle secretly (allegedly) craved the throne and that much was obvious with how much disdain he had for its heir and how much he disproved of his lifestyle. Of course he would tell his father none of his suspicions not unless he wished for harsh punishment.
"Where is yer father, boy? I must have a word with him before this…meeting resumes." the older man said in his usual drawl.
Alvar hid his grimace at the word 'boy' and pointed his uncle in the direction his father went.
"You didn't speak much during the session. Already getting cold feet about taking up yer father's mantle?" he scratched his long beard out of habit with one of those rancid grins, murmuring something about knowing Alvar to be a wimp.
The prince bit down on his tongue, literally.
"I had nothing to say."
"How will you rule the Unseelie someday if you have 'nothing to say'?" Uther scoffed. "The moment you were born, I could tell you had too much of your mother in ya, soft and useless, no where near fit to survive this ruthless realm."
Alvar swallowed down angry tears and even angrier words. He kept silent, both for his own safety and for the old man's.
Uther Olddwyn wasn't the silent type however.
"Are yer mute or just too pussy to talk back at me, boy? Did yer mother take what was left of yer brain to her grave, yes?"
Alvar sucked his teeth, glaring as the man laughed as though he just told the joke of the century.
"I don't care what you think about me uncle, but don't insult my mother's memory with your filthy words." he said through gritted teeth.
Uther's eyes darkened but there was still a dangerous smile on his lips.
"Is that so? You's got some barbs on yer boy, almost ready to be a king yet." Alvar should have seen it coming with how rapidly his fingers moved. "It's almost intriguing to watch you try."
All of a sudden, he couldn't breathe. His body stiffened against his will and struggle as he might he couldn't get away from whatever invisible grasp was holding him.
"L-let—let me g-go, you old rat!"
Uther's hand wasn't outstretched but he could practically feel the man's slimy fingers all over him.
"Unable to force your way out of a simple holding spell. Pathetic." He waved his hand and the prince fell to his knees, gasping for air. "Beware yer steps, boy. One step out of line and I'll take care of yer meself. The Unseelies need a firm hand to rule them, not a spineless wimp."
He dawdled away as he came, back ramrod straight and robes gliding across marble.
Alvar's breath never truly returned.
***
"May I propose marriage as a means of alliance, your..er..benevolence?" An envoy asked the king hours after the court session had ended and the Seelies had returned to their kingdom.
"To whom? A light elf? Don't make me laugh. Besides, my son here is already betrothed to Duke Whimsy's daughter, Lorelai." The king retorted, "We will not turn our backs on the law. No fraternizing with the enemy especially to form such an unholy union. There are many other ways to forge a lasting truce that wouldn't require… that."
It was a meeting solely between the king and his envoys tasked with journeying to the Light kingdom, home of the Seelie folk.
Alvar was there as well, but his mind was far away.
It had been a long, tiring day of meetings and the dark forest outside the window was starting to look more interesting.
"Are we boring you, Prince?" came his father's gruff voice. Alvar startled back to reality. King Aurelias looked less than impressed. "In case you had forgotten, you do have to suggest something to add to this meeting's progress."
Alvar shrugged, running a tired hand through his long dark hair.
"Do I, father? You seem to have everyone you need already. Except uncle Uther, of course." Yes, he was still bitter about this afternoon. His own uncle tried to choke the life out of him for gods sake, just like he had always done and just as he always will and he was too spineless to stop him.
Aurelias slammed his hand on the round table.
"You keep behaving like this, Alvar, and I would have no choice but to withdraw you from the Court indefinitely!"
"Nothing I have to say will be taken seriously anyway, so why should I say it, father?"
"Perhaps it is because nothing you have to say is relevant to this kingdom!"
Whatever retort Alvar had dried up in his mouth at his father's words. Even the envoys looked among themselves, murmuring.
Alvar sighed.
"The dark and light has been at war for many millenia, father. If assimilation and peace is what you all truly want, then why is marriage or even just fraternizing with them so bad? Yes, they are an insufferable folk but if we truly wish for a truce with them, we have to make sacrifices that–"
"I am not agreeing to expanding the Grand Academy into Unseelie territory so that our fractions can inter-marry! The terms are set and it is strictly forbidden to–"
"–father, even the terms of Academy is further segregation between us! How do you plan to have peace when you cannot take the first step! The Seelie can't be all that bad–"
"Silence!" King Aurelias roared. "I will not have my own son turn his back on his own people! It is clear that you are neither fit nor ready for your ascent as Crown Prince!"
Aurelias rose abruptly, knocking over his seat. The envoys looked from father to son, visibly confused.
Alvar rose as well, his hand shaking, not from fear, but anticipation. He'd seen this coming in a while.
"Prince Alvar Ashviel the First, you are to be disposed of your official duties starting tomorrow–" Gasps filled the room. Alvar's eyes widened. He was expecting punishment but not like this. "–you are to serve two weeks patrolling in the Blackwoods since you seem to enjoy that forsaken forest more than the palace–"
"–Father!"
"–and upon return from your exile, you are to escort the envoys to the Seelie realm and by the gods, if you break the law—I will make your punishment permanent."
The silence was like a death knell and it was clear this wasn't like other times.
"Your Majesty, p-perhaps the punishment is too harsh—"
A withering glare from the King silenced the unlucky envoy.
"It's fine." Alvar chewed his inner mouth, his face dry as bone. "I happily accept my punishment and pledge to serve out my time."
He left the room of trembling envoys and a wrathful King, slamming the wood doors behind him. Not even an hour later, he called for a stable boy to saddle Raven, haphazardly through some clothes, snacks and other supplies into a rucksack and donned his cloak. Although his father said his penance started tomorrow, he simply couldn't stomach another minute in this gods-forsaken palace. With little time to spare, he visited the royal family's mausoleum to ask for blessing from his mother's tomb.
By evening, the prince rode valiantly into the outskirts of the palace, and was swallowed almost instantly by the darkness of the Blackwoods.